Living the balanced life: Goodness

Thank God it’s Friday and we are looking into how to live a rich, fulfilling and balanced life without getting stuck on one end of the thread. We found victuals in God’s word that are indispensable in this pursuit:

2 Peter 1:5-8

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you posses these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus.

New here? Check out my previous post on Living the balanced life HERE so you will be carried along.

Like we established previously; our faith in God is very important and foundational but it is surely not the end. If you truly believe, you will go ahead to do good.

Now, goodness does not mean trying to be good in order to gain God’s approval or make him love you more.

I remember a movie I saw some time ago where a man taught his children to believe that all the good they do on earth was being recorded as well as the bad and that any time they needed anything from God, they had to do more and more good things so that God would grant their requests then at the end of their lives, the good and the bad they did will both be weighed and whichever was more will determine their fate. That’s morality not Christianity and it’s definitely not the way to please God.

Christ is the only way!

If you are in Christ, God is already pleased with you; the goodness I speak of now is that which flows out of your divine nature, out of your faith in God and love for him. The one you do not to get something from his hand but out of the knowledge that he loves you and has already done everything for you. That’s goodness- it flows from our faith in Christ.

But why should I bother to do good since God is already pleased with me?

You remember Acts 10:38 “…Jesus went about doing good,” (Paraphrased)

You don’t do good to please God; you do good because God is pleased with you. He is the one enabling you to do good.

When you go through the Acts of the Apostles, you will see the goodness that flowed through their lives. That’s why it is called ‘acts’ not ‘thoughts’ or ‘wishes’ or ‘faith’ of the Apostles. They acted, they worked, they labored because of their faith in God and love for mankind. They were not by-standers or spectators, they were men of action- that’s who Christians are, we do!

“God sees your heart, but people only see your acts”

Doing good is not a passive thing, it’s not something we claim or just profess; it’s a choice we have to consciously make.

For instance, you see someone in need, you don’t sit and say “God lives in me hallelujah, I am righteous already.” This is true but it must spur you unto good works. Because God lives in you and you are righteous; you give the fellow food to eat. That’s the goodness of God flowing through you to others.

God is not going to come down to the earth to do great stuffs again, he is doing that through me and you and because he is working in us, we work even harder just like Paul did by the grace of God. That way we can testify that it is not us that do good but Christ in us and we give him all the glory.

God provides countless opportunities for us to do good to others but sometimes while waiting for the big, public ones we miss the ‘little’ ones he brings our way.

Being good is our nature, it’s who we are, let no man tell you otherwise.

Lastly, you know it’s easy to do good to those we do same to you, but what about those who have done bad to you or those who can’t pay you back? Our flesh feeds on revenge and getting even, same with the society. But our divine nature is not like that, it loves to overflow with goodness to all.

So if you truly believe, go ahead and live like it.

Remember; we don’t form it, and since we can’t hide it, we live it!

Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father who is in heaven.

God sees your heart, but people only see your acts. Has someone ever been good to you? You know how it feels! It’s one of the most beautiful things on earth- being a recipient of good deeds. But even more fulfilling is being the one to do good to others.